This invention relates primarily to electronic component and contact retainer devices for use with and for establishment of matrix type circuits on terminal blocks used with key telephone systems. We are aware of two co-pending applications for United States Letters Patent which contemplate various forms of related devices; the first application having Ser. No. 810,532, filed June 27, 1977, assigned to Illinois Tool Works Inc. of Chicago, Ill., the assignee of this present invention; and the second application having Ser. No. 811,293 filed June 29, 1977, which it is our understanding will be assigned to Bell Laboratories of Holmdel, N.J., and Illinois Tool Works Inc. of Chicago, Ill. The inventions contemplated in these two co-pending applications contemplate protective devices which are arranged to accept terminals disposed in adjacent rows of terminals lying in spaced planes as opposed to the present invention wherein the devices of the present invention are so arranged to accept terminals disposed in a single row falling in a common plane.
The telephone companies have, for a period of time, contemplated installations to provide specialized services for particular customers in office buildings and hotels. Unfortunately, the space allotted for telephone equipment is minimal and hence the addition of other special features is restricted. A solution to these problems is to utilize electronic components in the intermediate terminal blocks used on the key telephone relay equipment itself and/or at multiple phone installation interconnecting blocks. Such blocks consist of rows of terminals that are flat, split beam members adapted to accept wire conductors between the split portions of each terminal.
Attempts have been made to remove terminals from the blocks and wire electronic components directly to adjacent terminals in a common row of the terminal blocks; however, component lead wires have a larger diameter than common copper telephone lead wires and when they were both inserted into a slot of a split planar blade-like terminal, the thinner telephone wires did not maintain tight contact, thereby jeopardizing the integrity of the connection and resulting in noise on telephone lines. Additionally, the labor of removing terminals from a terminal block was time consuming and the installation of the electronic component was difficult due to the close proximity and cramped spacing of adjacent rows of terminals in such blocks. Further, the removal of terminals from a block restricts useage of that block in later possible modifications to the circuitry.